O’Melveny Continues Texas Expansion, Welcoming Distinguished White Collar Partner Danny Ashby in Dallas

First-Chair Trial Lawyer and Former Federal Prosecutor Brings Versatile Practice

DALLAS—February 1, 2022—Continuing its rapid and strategic expansion in Texas, O’Melveny announced today that distinguished litigator Danny S. Ashby has joined the firm as a partner in Dallas. He will serve as a member of O’Melveny’s White Collar Defense & Corporate Investigations Practice.

Ashby joins O’Melveny from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, where he led the litigation and white collar teams in Dallas. A first-chair trial lawyer, Ashby has tried more than 25 cases and argued more than a dozen federal appeals across the country. He began his career as a federal prosecutor, serving as a Trial Attorney (under the Attorney General’s Honors Program) in the US Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and as a Special Assistant US Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. He earlier served as a law clerk to Judge Edith Jones of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Ashby is the 16th partner to join O’Melveny in Texas since the firm opened its first offices in the state—in Austin and Dallas—in June 2021. The firm also has added a number of talented associates and counsel through recent Texas hires, and is continuing to seek out top lawyers in the state.

With a practice that focuses on white collar criminal defense, corporate investigations, and securities litigation, Ashby has extensive experience handling federal criminal cases, securities class actions, and enforcement matters. In the white collar arena, he represents public and private companies and trade associations in pre-indictment and grand jury matters, as well as in jury trials. On the securities front, he has defended issuers, officers, and directors in civil class-action securities litigation, and represented clients in SEC investigations, False Claims Act matters, and parallel civil and criminal proceedings.

“We’re delighted to welcome Danny to the firm,” said Rich Goetz, Co-Chair of O’Melveny’s Litigation Department. “Many of us have worked with him over the years, and we know what an outstanding lawyer he is, both inside and outside the courtroom. We also know how widely respected he is in the Texas legal community and the white collar bar. It’s a great pleasure to now call him a partner.”

Ashby—who joins first-chair trial lawyers Tim Durst and Doug Wabner—is ranked among The Best Lawyers in America for white collar criminal defense and commercial litigation. Texas Monthly and D Magazine have recognized him as one of the state’s leading lawyers. He has also been recognized for his client service, with BTI Consulting Group repeatedly naming him to its list of Client Service All-Stars.

“With Danny joining Tim, Doug, and the rest of the team in Dallas, we’re proud to offer our clients  some of the highest caliber litigators in Texas,” said Apalla Chopra, Co-Chair of O’Melveny’s Litigation Department. “They are highly versatile, remarkable lawyers, and together they can take on the most complex IP, white collar, securities, products, and commercial litigation.”

Ashby earned his J.D. with highest honors from Baylor University Law School in 1990, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Baylor Law Review. 

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